SJD Accountancy said the most in-demand roles are IT business analysts, architects and systems designers, programmers and software developers, web design and development specialists.

A 2013 O2 report, The Future Digital Skills Needs of the UK Economy, estimated 745,000 additional workers with digital skills would be needed to meet rising demand from employers between 2013 and 2017. Halfway through that time frame, there has been no let-up in the skills shortage.

Yet as UK businesses increase their reliance on non-EU talent, the government is looking to reduce the number of skilled professionals it accepts at its borders.

One possible route of entry for skilled IT workers outside the EU is the Tier 2 visa, but the Home Office is currently exploring how it can make this visa more difficult to secure.